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🍗 Two-Week Reserve-Based Crockpot Menu: Chicken, Sausage & Beef Edition (Wk 27&28)

Because ovens are rude and we deserve ease.

Let’s be real — chronic illness, neurodivergence, parenting, and general life chaos don’t care that dinner still has to happen.
So here’s a two-week, reserve-based crockpot plan that keeps you fed without a meltdown.

You’ll cook just three days a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday) and still have enough food for reworks, leftovers, and “oops, I forgot to defrost something” days.


🐔 TUESDAY: Chicken Day

🥣 Salsa Crockpot Chicken

The OG lazy girl dinner. Don’t mess with perfection.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 jar (16 oz) salsa
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • Optional: 1 cup frozen corn or a can of diced tomatoes (drained)

Instructions

  1. Dump it all in the crockpot.
  2. Cook on low 6–8 hours or high 3–4.
  3. Shred it up and mix before serving.

Serve With: Rice, tortillas, or potatoes.
Reserves: Use leftovers in quesadillas, nachos, rice bowls, or over pasta.


🍽️ Chicken & Veggie Bowls

Healthy-ish. Easy. Zero oven time. We love that for us.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ lbs chicken (breasts or thighs), chunked
  • 1 bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 zucchini, sliced
  • ½ onion, sliced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Toss it all in the crockpot.
  2. Cook on low 5–6 hours or high 3–4.
  3. Stir before serving to coat everything evenly.

Serve With: Rice, quinoa, or in wraps.
Reserves: Toss leftovers into scrambled eggs or pasta for a second meal.


🌭 THURSDAY: Sausage Day

🍝 Sausage & Peppers Pasta

A classic one-pot wonder — but make it a slow cooker.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb smoked sausage, sliced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 bell pepper, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups broth
  • 8 oz pasta (add later!)
  • Italian herbs, salt & pepper

Instructions

  1. Add everything except the pasta.
  2. Cook on low 5–6 hours or high 3–4.
  3. Stir in uncooked pasta 30–40 minutes before serving (add a splash of broth if needed).

Reserves: Bake leftovers with cheese or thin it out for soup.


🥔 Sausage, Potato & Pepper Hash

Like a diner breakfast but without having to move.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb smoked sausage, sliced
  • 1 ½ lbs potatoes, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil or butter
  • Garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper

Instructions

  1. Grease crockpot lightly with oil or spray.
  2. Toss everything in and mix well.
  3. Cook on high 3–4 hours or low 6–7, stirring halfway through.

Serve With: Fried egg on top or a warm roll.
Reserves: Wrap leftovers in tortillas for breakfast burritos.


🥩 SUNDAY: Ground Beef Day

🌶️ Lazy Chili Mac (No Beans)

It’s comfort food that won’t fight your stomach.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb cooked ground beef
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
  • 2 cups elbow noodles
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • Salt & pepper

Instructions

  1. Add everything except noodles to the crockpot.
  2. Cook on low 4–5 hours.
  3. Stir in noodles 30 minutes before serving.

Reserves: Serve leftovers over baked potatoes or tortilla chips.


🍚 Beef & Rice Bowls

Your freezer meal hero.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb cooked ground beef
  • 1 ½ cups uncooked rice
  • 3 cups broth
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • Salt, pepper, paprika

Instructions

  1. Combine everything in the crockpot.
  2. Cook on low 4–5 hours or high 2–3.
  3. Fluff before serving.

Reserves: Wrap in lettuce or tortillas, or top with fried eggs.


That should last us into November, wow it flies by, til next time gang, take care of yourselves, and each other.

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Survival & Sanity Weeks 9&10

Another two weeks, another round of What the hell are we eating? Welcome to Survival and Sanity: Weeks 9–10, where the focus is chicken (because it’s cheap), simplicity (because I’m exhausted), and enough reserves to keep you from spiraling into meal decision burnout.

This plan is spoonie- and budget-friendly. You’ll find cook-day meals that stretch across multiple nights, plenty of “fend for yourself” reserves, and recipes that don’t demand your soul in exchange for dinner.

🍽️ Survival and Sanity: Weeks 9–10 Menu

Starting Monday, June 9

Monday (June 9):
Reserves Day – It’s Monday. You’re lucky there’s food at all.

Tuesday (June 10):
Chicken Stir Fry – For when you want takeout vibes but need your wallet to calm down.

Wednesday (June 11):
Reserves Day – Eggs? Sandwiches? Cereal? I support all of it.

Thursday (June 12):
Kielbasa & Veggie Sheet Pan Bake – One pan, zero shame, and dinner without a meltdown.

Friday (June 13):
Reserves Day – Official “find your own dinner and your own fork” night.

Saturday (June 14):
Takeout or Reserves – AKA “pretend we’re normal” night.

Sunday (June 15):
Bacon-Wrapped Chicken – Because wrapping anything in bacon is basically therapy.


Monday (June 16):
Mixed Flatbreads (Pesto + BBQ Chicken) – One of each flavor because decisions are hard and everyone wins.

Tuesday (June 17):
Garlic Ranch-Seasoned Chicken & Potatoes – No clumpy white sauce here, just herby garlic goodness baked until golden.

Wednesday (June 18):
Reserves Day – We’re all just scavengers at this point. Go forth and forage.

Thursday (June 19):
Chicken Tomato Pasta – Proof that noodles and tomatoes can solve most of life’s problems.

Friday (June 20):
Reserves Day – Not my circus, not my dinner.

Saturday (June 21):
Reserves or Eggs – Whatever’s in the fridge or however many eggs you can scramble.

Sunday (June 22):
Crockpot Chicken with Garlic Butter Herb Sauce – A Sunday dinner that feels like someone tried without making you cry in the kitchen.
Til next time gang, take care of yourselves and each other!

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Survival & Sanity: Reserve-Based Meal Plan – Weeks 7&8

🐔 Two Weeks of Chicken Dinners (With Bacon, Because Why Not)

Let’s be real — Lately, life’s been a whirlwind. Between healing, hustling, and handling a hundred little things that crop up every week, I’ve been feeling the crunch. Projects pile up, messages go unanswered, and if I don’t write stuff down, it vanishes into the fog of “what was I supposed to do today again?”

But even on the most chaotic days, we still have to eat. They still have to eat. So when I’m trying to keep the wheels on, these two-week reserve-based meal plans are my safety net. They let me cook in chunks, plan for the crash days, and feel like I’ve got something handled — even if that “something” is just dinner.

This round, I leaned into chicken (because it’s versatile and usually affordable), and I’m making bacon pull double-duty too. That’s right — bacon-wrapped chicken one night, bacon fried rice another, and some dreamy flatbreads that taste way fancier than they are. We’ve even got a baked potato bar thrown in for a choose-your-own-comfort-food kind of night.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve needed meals lately that come with a side of grace. Meals that don’t guilt-trip me if I need to swap things around or punt dinner to leftovers. Meals that say, “Hey, you’re doing your best. Sit down. Eat. Breathe.”

So that’s what this plan is about. Survival, yes — but also sanity. Feeding yourself and your people without feeding the burnout.

🍽️ 2-Week Meal Plan (Starting Monday, May 26)

Week One
🟢 Monday, May 26: Leftovers/Reserves
🟢 Tuesday, May 27: Loaded Baked Potatoes
🟢 Wednesday, May 28: Leftovers/Reserves
🟢 Thursday, May 29: Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs
🟢 Friday, May 30: Leftovers/Reserves
🟢 Saturday, May 31: Takeout or Breakfast for Dinner
🟢 Sunday, June 1: Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Week Two
🟢 Monday, June 2: BBQ Chicken & Pesto Flatbreads
🟢 Tuesday, June 3: Leftovers
🟢 Wednesday, June 4: Bacon Fried Rice
🟢 Thursday, June 5: Leftovers/Reserves
🟢 Friday, June 6: Chicken Bacon Tomato Pasta
🟢 Saturday, June 7: Leftovers/Reserves
🟢 Sunday, June 8: Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs

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Survival & Sanity: Reserve-Based Meal Plan – Weeks 5&6

Life’s still life-ing, so this week’s meals are coming in hot (on the days I can handle it) and chillin’ in the freezer when I can’t. This round of our reserve-based meal plan keeps things doable — we’re talking one-pan bakes, skillet tosses, and recipes that don’t expect you to be a professional chef or have unlimited spoons. I cook every other day (ish), and fill the gaps with reserve meals like eggs, toast, frozen dinners, and soup. Because some days are just not it, and that’s okay.

Starting Monday, we’ve got seven solid “cook day” meals that cover two weeks — hearty, comforting, budget-friendly, and picky-eater resistant. If you’re new here, this isn’t about meal prepping ten containers of the same thing. It’s about creating a plan that works when your energy is spotty and the schedule is chaos. Let’s survive and eat good food while we’re at it. Scroll down for this week’s cook day menu, plus a grocery list and printable recipe cards to make your life easier.

Grab your grocery list (printable coming right up), and let’s get this plan in motion.


🗓️ Reserve-Based Meal Plan: Weeks Five & Six

Starting Monday, May 12th


🍽️ Week Five

Monday – Cook Day
Chicken Apple Sausage & Potato Bake
Sweet + savory with minimal brain power: chicken apple sausage, sliced apples, onions, and potatoes roasted together with olive oil and thyme. A sheet pan miracle.

Tuesday – Reserve/Leftovers
Whatever’s left from Monday or hit the freezer stash.

Wednesday – Cook Day
Kielbasa & Peppers Stir-Fry Over Rice
Fast, colorful, and full of flavor: kielbasa, bell peppers, and onions tossed in soy sauce with rice. Add garlic and a splash of broth or vinegar if you’re fancy.

Thursday – Reserve/Leftovers
You know the drill. Leftovers, breakfast for dinner, or peace-out night.

Friday – Cook Day
Bacon-Wrapped BBQ Chicken Thighs
Chicken thighs wrapped in bacon, slathered in BBQ sauce, and roasted until crispy. Garlic powder and paprika seal the deal.

Saturday – Reserve/Leftovers
Don’t cook. You earned it.

Sunday – Cook Day
Kielbasa Skillet
Cheesy Melty gooey goodness.. A one-pan spicy pasta situation with andouille sausage, tomatoes, garlic, and penne. Fast, bold, and satisfying.


🍽️ Week Six

Monday – Cook Day
Chicken Fried Rice
Leftover rice, scrambled egg, diced chicken, and whatever frozen veg you’ve got. Soy sauce, sesame oil, and boom—better than takeout.

Tuesday – Reserve/Leftovers
Microwave something. Sit down while it cooks.

Wednesday – Cook Day
Potato Chicken Sausage and Pepper Bake
Use that leftover rice and whatever’s hanging around. Add diced chicken, eggs, peas/carrots, and soy sauce. Done in 10 minutes if you don’t overthink it.

Thursday – Reserve/Leftovers
Leftover fried rice tastes even better. Just saying.

Friday – Cook Day
Pesto Chicken Flat Bread
Tender, seasoned chicken with pesto, melty mozzarella, and juicy tomatoes, all atop your choice of flatbread or naan. Ready in just 20 minutes, suitable for ‘I forgot to tell you the concert is tonight at 5:30’ vibes.

Saturday – Reserve/Leftovers
Pick your favorite rerun from the week.

Sunday – Cook Day
Pasta Bake
Comfort food meets mom hack. Pasta with red sauce, sneaky chopped veggies, mozzarella, and maybe some Italian sausage if you’re fancy.

🍗 Meat & Protein

  • Chicken thighs (for 2 meals — est. 6–8 thighs total)
  • Chicken apple sausage (1 package)
  • Kielbasa (1 package)
  • Andouille sausage (1 package)
  • Bacon (1 package)
  • Eggs (for fried rice)

🥕 Produce

  • Potatoes (4–6 medium)
  • Apples (2)
  • Yellow or white onions (3–4)
  • Bell peppers (3–4, mixed colors)
  • Garlic (1 bulb or pre-minced)
  • Zucchini (1–2) optional for sheet pan
  • Carrots (for roasting or side)
  • Green veggie of choice (for Maple Mustard Chicken side)

🍚 Grains & Pantry

  • Jasmine or white rice
  • Egg noodles or other pasta for sausage & peppers
  • Penne pasta (for Andouille skillet)
  • Soy sauce
  • Olive oil
  • Sesame oil (optional for fried rice)
  • Dijon mustard (skip if you’re omitting for your swap)
  • Maple syrup
  • BBQ sauce (your favorite)
  • Italian seasoning
  • Smoked paprika
  • Paprika
  • Garlic powder
  • Broth (chicken or veggie, carton or bouillon)

🧂 Other

Canned diced tomatoes (1–2 cans)

Frozen peas & carrots mix (optional for fried rice)
Til next time guys, take care of yourselves, and each other!